Having entered the Republican presidential race last month, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, a favorite of the tea party movement, is riding high in the polls and turning her attention to delegate-rich Florida.

It was announced this week that Bachmann, who is at the moment the chief conservative threat to front-runner Mitt Romney, will be heading to Florida in August and September for two events.

Two Florida Republican congressmen, Tom Rooney and Vern Buchanan, said on Wednesday that they intended to co-sponsor a proposal from a Tennessee Democrat that would cut off congressional pay if the federal government reached a default.

U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., said Tuesday that he will introduce a measure that will end congressional salaries -- and ensure that they would not be paid retroactively -- if the current stalemate in Washington over raising the federal debt ceiling was not ended by Aug. 2.

A national poll unveiled Wednesday reveals that former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts is leading the pack for the Republican presidential nomination -- but how large a lead and who his chief rival is depends on the candidates remaining on the sidelines.

The new Gallup poll shows Romney leading in all potential scenarios and he is enjoying a healthy lead when the survey just included announced candidates.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, looking increasingly likely to enter the field for the Republican presidential nomination, is playing the states' rights card. In an appearance in New York Friday, Perry said the Empire State has the right to allow same-sex marriages, while conservative states like Texas have the right to oppose them. This is not a new stance from Perry, who has also said that the matter of medicinal marijuana should also be left to the states ...

Ron Pauls supporters insist their candidate is gaining momentum as the Texas congressman makes his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination. He certainly has more name recognition and a larger war chest this time around -- but he is flopping badly in the Sunshine State.